Cribbing



Dc. 30, 1930. J. s. HUN'rooN 1,787,199

CRIBBING Filed Nov. 1, 192e 2 sheets-sheet 1 311 lrcn Por: faim fzUz foam Dec. 30, 1930. A J. s. HuNTooN y 1,787,199

g CRIBBING Filed Nov. 1, 192s 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Dec. 30, 1930 "UNrEnsrATEs PATENT ori-ECE SOHN S. HUNTOON, OF DETROIT,';MICI'IIG AN, ASSIGNOR TO MASSEY CONCRETE PROD- UCTS CORPORATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,l A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS CRIBBING Application filed November 1, 1926. Serial No.v 145,392.l

Y VMy invention relates to improved cribbing for use in constructing retaining walls such as are used in connection with fills and embankments of railways.

The cribbing of the present invention consists of few dissimilar parts and may be manufactured at a central point and4 transported to the position where the retainingwall is to. be constructed and the construction of the retaining Wall may be accomplished by a minimum number of relatively unskilled Workmen. In the cribbings of the prior artr it has been customary to provide a plurality of irregular shapes of headers and stretchers which are laidalternately upon each other in transverse relation, thereby building up a framework of cribbing having a forwardv Wall, a plurality of backwardly extending walls and in most cases a plurality of walls parallel to the saidforward wall. i

One of the objects of my invention is to provide va cribbingconstructed of stretchers of simple rectangular form and headers cooperating therewith to hold said lstretchers and headers by means of their vown weight and the Weight of the superposed structure. 'Another object of my'invention is to provide a cribbing structure in which the respectiveV headers .are supported bythe adjacent stretchers and which headers have, in addi-y tion', co-operating surfaces adapted to support and sustain the load in the event of failure kof said stretchers. -Y

.Another object of my invention is the pro# vision-of .a plurality of cribbing membersY having a plurality of supporting surfaces at differentV levels', which can bemanufactured withoutfiine or exact work in spacing said supportingy surfaces. c f

f Another object of my invention is to provide header members lcapable of co-operating` with stretchers to hold the same in position and having plane lateral surfaces so thaty a plurality of' said header membersjmay be placed side by side, all supporting a lesser number of header members piled in cribbing relation. above'them. j,

Y .Another object of my invention'is the pro-- vision of cribbing havingsimple rectangular stretchers and headers of ak lSecond ,shape capable of being combined to form a cribbing in which the header walls may be grad uated in thickness, increasing toward the bottom to provide an adequate support for the increased load at the bottom.

@ther objects and advantages of my inven tion will appear more fully from the following description and the accompanying` drawings in which similar characters of ref erence indicate similar parts throughout the several views: l Y

Figure 1 is an elevation of a transverse section of a cribbing constructedin accord ance with my invention;

Figurel 2 is a plan view of a portion of the same taken perpendicular to the stretcher-s and'headers;y

Figure 3 is a View in perspective of my spacing and. aligning block;

Figure 4 is a View 1n perspective showin g the shape of header employed in Figure 1 z c iron in the usualmanner.

Referring to F iguref, here is shown the shape of the header used togetherwith rectangular stretchers to form a structure shown in Figurel. j s n The header 11 consists of al mainbody portion preferably ofirectangular shape, having atIits forward end an upwardly extending leg 12 also of substantially rectangular shape, thereby presenting a forward plane surface '14, a rearward shoulder 13 on the leg 12 and an upper bearingsurface 15` on thesaid leg. The header 11 islikewiseA provided with a downwardly extending leg 16 on the opposite side to the leg 15 the said'downward leg having ka forward surface 17 which is offset from the surface 13,- of the leg 15 a distance equal t@ thethiclmess of the'stretchers 10 in I ment.

such manner that when a stretcher is laid upon a plurality of headers 11 transverse thereto andbehind the shoulder 13, and a second header is laid upon the said stretcher parallel to and above the first header, asV

shown in Figure 1, the stretchers 10 are adapted to be fitted between the upwardly extending shoulder 13 of the lower header and a downwardly extending shoulder 17 of the upper header and the said stretchersjare held by the said shoulders from lateral move- Likewise the forward ends of all the headers are aligned, forming a substantially continuous surface extending upward to said headers with a slightpcraclr between successive headers as will be further described.

In any 'construction of headers of the type described it will be observed that a threepoint bearing or supporting` surface is provided, viz., the'point of Contact between the two headers in front of the stretcher, the points of contact between the header stretcher and header, and the point 'of contact between the two headers behind the stretchers. It is practically impossible in casting such concrete headers to secure an accurate alignment and spacing of such bearing surfaces sothat the headers will rest upon each other in all points of vcontact described and 'so that they will also rest upon the stretchers 10 with an equal portion of the weight. Furthermore it has been found that when such cribbing structures are built to more than ordinary heights, the load-upon the transverse stretchers 1() at the bottom of the cribbingbecomes so great that the said stretchers are often crushed or otherwise fail toV support the load.

VBy my invention I provide the upwardly ex'- tending supporting leg 12 and a downwardly extending supporting leg 1G` which are adapted to Vextend adjacent the next upper'`v and next lower headers, respectively, with, a very slight crack or play between thesaid legs and headers. In the case of the failure of the transverse stretchers 10 or the compression of' the stretchers 10 by an excessive load, the

surfaces land 18 of the headers 11 will come the same time'it is notnecessary to provide for the accurate and'true spacing and alignment of the surfaces 1,5 and 18 with respectto the depth of the stretchers 10 since it is not contemplated by my invention that these surfaces should be adapted to fittogether with-Vv out play.4 i j In orderto provide V'acribbing yof increasing cross section and weight vtoward the base, so as to-have a maximum resistance against overturning, I prefer Ytomalre the lower header members 22 of va greater' length,`intermedi ate header members21 of slightly less length and the upper header members '1 1' of still less length. While I have 'shown but three different lengths of'header members, it will be sizes. In Figure 3 I have shown in perspective my spacing and aligning block which consists of a substantially H shape, having a central portion 20 of substantially rectangular shape with an upper plane bearing surface 'V23 and a lower plane Vbearing surface 24, the

said surfaces being spaced a distance equal to the depth of the stretchers 10 in order that the said spacing blocks may maintain the rear ends of the headers 10, 21 and 22 in spaced relation with said headers extending parallel to each other. At each end of the substantially rectangular central portion of the spacing block is an upwardly extending leg 25 and a downwardly extending leg 26, thereby providing a plurality of shoulders on either side of the header resting on the surface 23 and a plurality of shoulders on either side of the header on which the surface 24 is supported. The spacing block 20 may thereby be made to support the said headers in parallel spaced relation and also maintain the Vsaid headers aligned above each other in such manner as to presentan open wall framework substantially vertical.

When the cribbing constructed by my headers and stretchersconsists of butafew layers with headers of relatively short lengths, a single spacingblock will be sufhcient between each pair of headers, providing a row of spacing blocks extending fromv the bottom to the top of the cribbing. When, however, a cribbing of greater height is built, employing headers of'a plurality of. lengths as shown in Figure'1,I prefer to use a plurality of spacing blocks between longest headers, a less number of spacing blocks between the headers of less length and a single row of spacing blocks for the upper layer, locating the lower spacing blocks in suchv manner that they are adapted to provide direct support for the rearward ends of all of the upper headers. Thus in Figure 1 the spacing blocks 27 supporting-the rearward ends of the upper headers are continued all the way down tothe bottom of the cribbing in a straight lineand, if necessary, additional support may be provided beneath the lowest spacing block 27 in the form of a concrete foundation. Likewise, the spacing blocks 28 are arranged in a row extending from the rear ends of the interme- E. diate headers Yto thebottom of the cribbing and the spacing blocks 29 alignand space the rearward ends of the longest headers.

The @ribbing thus constructed is supported upon a subfoundation 30 of concrete, adapted' to support the forward end of the lowermost headers at a slight elevation to the rearward end, thereby giving the forward face of the cribbing wall a slightbackward tilt. The cribbing is then built'up in the manner almemes ready described of ,alternating headers, stretchers and spacers, and when built to the desired height is filled in vwith earth or other filling to provide a bank or retaining wall. The weight of the upper headers and stretchers, together with the earth or other material placed within the same, maintain the whole in fixed relation and further means of support are not required. l f

In the modification shown in Figures and 6, I haveprovided a header member shape which is adapted to be used without the spacing blocksrand which consists of a header having the .upwardly extending legs 12 and downwardly extending legs 16 a; both ends of the header. In this modification as well, the upper bearing surface l5 and the lower bearing surface 18 on each end of the headers 31 are so located that they leave a 2()l slight crack or play lbetween the said bearing surface and the adjacent surface of the next header for the purposes already specified. In order to yprovide a cribbing in which the extended length of the lower headers is greater at the base, I use a plurality of headers at the base, the headers 32 resling von the stretchers 33 at a point directly beside the headers 31 on the said stretchers. In other words, the headers 32 are slightly offset from the headers 31 on the stretchers 33 but are supported in the same manner. In asimilar manner the headers 34 may be placed upon the stretchers 35 togeher with the headers 32 in offset relation, with their :as plane sides in contact or out of contact, as

desired, thereby providing an extended length of header at the base of the cribbing. ,a portion of less length at a higher part of the cribbing and succeeding portions of crib- 46 bing at higher points having headers of still less length. It will thus be observed that l have provided a header member which is capable of cooperating with simple rectangular stretcher members in such manner that a 45 plurality of header members extending in opposite directions may be supported by the same stretchers. Y

Furthermore, as the vertical sides or walls of my headers are plane, a plurality of head- 59 ers may be placed side by side as shown in Figure 6. The lower headers consist of a plurality of rows of headers 36 arranged side by side, in this instance giving a lower header Wall of triple thickness; At a suitable 5 point the header wall may be made less thick consisting of a lesser number of rows of headers 37r side by side, all of which are supported on the lower header wall after the arrangement of broken joints. rifhis are rangement maybe continued, the upper part CI.ber of rows of headers at the lower portion ure-6in the usual manner and that, due to the slight play or contact provided between the adjacent supporting surfaces 15 and 13, between the headers, the actual surface of support in the primary instance is between successivel headers and stretchers, the bearing surfaces 15 andA 18 only coming into play after compression,- wear, or failure of the lsupporting surface provided by the stretchers 10,33, 35 and 39.

I desire it to be understood that the arrangement of increasing thickness of the header wall, as shown'in Figure 6, may be likewise used with the form of header shown in Figures 1 toll. In such oase the spacingk block, shown in Figure 3, may be modified to provide shoulders 25 and 26 sufficiently spaced tov receive a pluralityof lheaders between the same.

The headers employed in-Figures 1 to f may be reinforced .by a plurality offlongitudinally extending -metal members 40 as shown in Figures 1 and 5, and a plurality' of substantially Z shaped members 41 transl verse to the members 40, extending from the upper leg 12 through theheader, terminating in the lower l eg.16. The headers may be cast of concrete or similar material with the said reinforcing molded in place.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect this is capable of many modifications without departing from the spirit of the invention and I do not wish to be limited tothe precise details of the construction set forth but desire to avail myself of all changes within the scope of the appendedy claims.

I claim:

1. In a cribbing, a plurality of rectangular stretchers and a plurality of headers of substantially rectangular cross .section having an upwardly extending leg and a downwardly extending'leg, said legs-being offset an amount equal to the width of said stretchers.

2.` "In a cribbing, a pluarlity of rectangular stretchers and a plurality of headers of substantially rectangular f cross section, said headers. having an upwardly extending leg and a downwardly extending leg, said legs being ox'set anainount equal vto the width of said, stretchers and said legs l' being of a length slightly less than the depth of said stretchers.

3. In a cribbing, a'structure composed of a plurality of stretchers having plane, rectangular sides, a plurality of headers of substantially rectangular cross section, and having shoulders located on their tops for positioning the stretchers above said headers by confining one side of said stretchers, and opposed shoulders on their'bottoms for positioning the stretchers below said headers by confining the opposite side of said stretchers.

il. VIn a cribbing, a plurality of stretchers having plane, rectangular sides, anda plurality of headers, piled alternately and transversely7 upon said stretchcrs, each header having a downwardly extending leg and an upwardly extending leg, said legs being ofsetan amount equal to the width of said stretchers, and each stretcher being confined between a downwardly extending leg on at leastione header and an upwardly extending leg on another header.

5. In a cribbing, a front wall comprising a plurality of horizontally lextending stretchers having plane, rectangular sides, and aplurality of backwardly extending walls comprising headers of substantially rectangular cross'section, each header having a downwardly extending leg behind the stretcher underneath said header, and an upwardly extending legv in front of the stretcher above said header, said legs being of slightly less length than the thickness of said stretchers to form a reserve supporting surface.

Y ward the bottom of the cribbing, and a pluralityof rows of spacer blocks betweenv said headers at the ends of each group, said kblocks extending from the bottom of the cribbing to a point adjacent the top of each header group.

- 7. In a cribbing a header wall comprising a plurality of headers supported one above the other to form a substantially vertical wall, means for spacing the forward end of said headers and for preventing longitudinal movement thereof Arelative to said cribbing,

vsaid headers being arranged in a plurality of groups in each wall, each group including headers ofv the same length, andthe length of the headers in each group increasing toward the bottom of the cribbing, and a plurality of rows of spacer blocks between said headers at Vthe ends of each group, said blocks extending from the bottom of the cribbing to .the top of the same at the end of each header group, said spacer blocks comprising substantially H-shaped blocks having shoulders extending upward and downward on both sides ofV the adjacent headers.V

8. In a cribbing, the combination of a plurality oftransverse stretchers with a plurality of headers laid alternately and transversely on said stretchers, said headers having upwardly and downwardly extending legs for confining the stretchers between said legs, said headers each resting on stretchers and said legs being slightly shorter than the depth of the stretchers on which said headers rest. whereby said legs form reserve supporting surfaces, and said legs being located on opposite sides of said headers and offset to engage opposite sides of said stretohers.'

AIn witness whereof, .I hereunto subscribe my name this 26th day of October, 1926. Y

vJOHN S. HUNTOON. 

